The Precious Pain
by teawithmugi
Summary: The scars left by fighting may never fade, but to a strong enough heart, they may be not suffering but only a testament to the prices paid for love.
Ichigo grit her teeth and clenched her fist as Mint poured small, pale drops of alcohol on the thin red line that ran along her arm. Though her mouth was closed, she still hissed, almost like a cat, and the absurdity of that nearly made Mint laugh. Instead she looked into her bag for gauze and some cotton balls. Ichigo lay sprawled on Mint's bed, her head atop a tall pillow, and, curiously, she looked as if she were simultaneously quite comfortable, but also in great pain.

"I'm sorry," said Mint, gently rubbing the cotton on Ichigo's wounds. "I know it hurts."

"It's just fine," Ichigo lied. She was a terrible liar, but sometimes Mint liked to pretend she believed in those lies, if only to make Ichigo feel more at ease. "I'm sorry I'm being so much trouble."

Mint didn't answer. Through the open window came a warm breeze, blowing the thin curtains from one side to the other. It was a pleasant night, despite everything, so Mint did not feel worried. Silent, she applied the gauze on Ichigo's arms as well as she could, which wasn't much. She was used to tending to her own scratches and sprains, but this was different. She looked at Ichigo's reddened arm, raked by the long claws of the monster they had fought earlier. Ichigo had been too bold, too hasty, leaping right in front of their foe to try to finish the battle quickly, but instead the beast nearly tore her arm open with its talons. In the end, it hadn't been such a terrible wound, but when Mint saw Ichigo fallen on the ground as a pool of blood spread underneath her, it wasn't hard to imagine the worst.

"There," she said when she was finished. With care, Mint put back all the tools into the small first aid kit she always kept in a messy corner of her purse. She frowned as she looked at her own work; the bandage was indiscreet, messy, blotched with uneven red spots. "You still should go to a hospital."

"I can't," Ichigo said, sighed, and closed her eyes in frustration. "You know I can't, just as you can't. How the hell would we even explain all the bruises and cuts we've got? I can't justify that, and if my parents knew…"

"That might be true, but it only means we ought to be even more careful in the future," said Mint. She sat next to Ichigo, who then opened her eyes, and managed a weak smile that made Mint curious. "What is it?"

"I just realized that we face death pretty much once a week. Do you ever think about that?" Mint shook her head. She tried to never think of her duty as a burden, as something painful. It had brought her close to Ichigo, after all. And everyone else, yes, of course, she told herself, embarrassed at how quickly her mind had jumped to Ichigo. "Well, I'm thinking about it now. It should be scary, shouldn't it?"

"Is it not?"

"No," Ichigo said, determined. "No, now that I think of it, I'm not scared at all. Even looking at this," fraily she lifted her arm, and it trembled very slightly, "I am not afraid. I feel so safe because I have you with me."

By then, Mint realized she was holding Ichigo's hand. She couldn't even explain to herself how she had allowed herself to do that, but she found that she didn't want to let go. There was a roughness to her fingers, but Mint didn't mind. She liked the feeling of them entwining with her own.

"Y-You mean because of me, Lettuce, everyone, right?" Mint said, suddenly feeling warm-faced.

"Of course I mean because of them," Ichigo said, "but mostly because of you. I feel like I can't be hurt when I'm with you."

"And are you sure that's a good thing?" She pointed out her wounded arm.

"Heh, I guess you have a point. But still, I do feel stronger when I'm fighting by your side. My heart, your arrow… That's a good combination, isn't it? I hadn't noticed until today, but they complete each other."

"So what you're saying is that my arrow pierced your heart, hm?"

"I might be," Ichigo said, squeezing Mint's hand. She began to get up, then. "Thank you, Mint. For everything. You always take such good care of me."

"You'd be doomed if I didn't," she said behind a smile.

"That's no fair," she pouted. "I want to take care of you, too, you know?"

"You already do," said Mint. "I also feel safe when I'm with you."

"Well, sure, but you're the one who took care of my wounds. You're so good at that, Mint."

"What? No, I'm not," Ichigo gave her far too much credit sometimes. The girl was a bit easy to impress, she presumed. "I'm just used to taking care of myself," she didn't expect it, but saying that made her feel a little bit sad. Ichigo's eyes silently asked for her to continue. "I'll show you, if you want."

Slowly, Mint rose her leg, and put it on top of her bed, next to Ichigo. It hurt, black and blue all over, but Mint had grown used to this sort of pain long ago. She had not always been a good dancer, after all. Gingerly her hand reached for the tip of her toes, and she pulled off her black and white stockings, revealing her skin, all cracked and bruised, sprinkled with red and black spots. Her knee was wrapped in bandages, and had been for a long time now. Mint couldn't remember the last time her legs weren't hurt. She looked at Ichigo's face with apprehension, fearful that she'd see a sign of disgust at this unsightly vision. Her foot was the worst of all: it was crimson, now, and her nails were half-broken.

"Does it hurt?" Was all that Ichigo asked.

"A little," Mint shrugged. "It's worth it, though, for being good at what I love. Even if it's painful sometimes, even if it itches, if it's swollen, even if I limp sometimes… I wouldn't want it any other way. It's ugly, but it shows all the effort I put into ballet."

"It's not ugly, then," said Ichigo. Those words meant so much to Mint that she had to wonder if Ichigo even understood that. She put her arm next to Mint's leg, afterwards. "Like this, right? We'll be hurt doing the things that are important to us, but it doesn't matter, does it, as long as we truly love them?"

"Do you truly love fighting, Ichigo?"

"Fighting? No, not fighting," she leaned her head against Mint. "I do love being with you, though, and I love knowing I can keep you safe, just as I love knowing that you will protect me. And that makes it all worth it."


End file.
